Need to provide tourism sites in BA with sustainable energy

Bui Camp (B/A), Sept. 26, GNA – An official of the Volta River Authority (VRA) has appealed to donor institutions, organisations, and philanthropists to assist in the provision of sustainable energy to tourism sites in the Brong Ahafo Region. Mr Noble Dormenu, Brong Ahafo Regional Director in-charge of Operations of the VRA, who made the call, explained that not all the sites in the region would benefit from the national electricity grid being extended to more than 300 communities in the area, under the Self-Help Electrification Project. He made the appeal at a durbar, organised by the Brong Ahafo Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), to mark this year’s United Nations World Tourism Organisation Day at Bui Camp in the Banda District of Brong Ahafo, on Tuesday. The worldwide celebration is scheduled for Thursday, September 27. The durbar was held on the theme: “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development”, and attended by traditional rulers, students, members of the public, and stakeholders of the tourism industry. Mr Dormenu said sustainable energy and tourism were twin pillars for development of tourism in the region, but that remained a challenge because capital required to develop energy sources was huge. He advised Ghanaians to use energy efficient bulbs and switch off electrical gadgets when out of use, to conserve energy. Mr Dormenu stressed that some tourism sites needed power from sustainable energy sources, since some animal species at those sites could be driven away by noise from diesel power plants. He said sustainable energy sources could help to preserve life and the ecosystem at those sites. “Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their energy requirements, ” Mr Dormenusaid.

Mr Dormenu said solar, wind, biomass and tidal waves could be tapped for to ensure sustainable energy, to enhance development. He observed that efficient use of energy and provision of sustainable energy would help to reduce cost and minimise the emission of greenhouse gases that affected the ozone layer. “Tourism and sustainable energy have a symbiotic relationship which need further strengthening in order to power sustainable development in the country,” Mr Dormenu said. Mr Joseph Appiagyei, Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Director of GTA, said the region was endowed with enormous cultural, historical, and ecotourism tourist attraction sites,. He said: “Tourism is more meaningful when the needed value is added to whatever nature has endowed us with”. Mr Appiagyei called on individuals and organisations to help government to develop tourist sites in the region. He noted that marketing and publicity on tourist sites in the region had not been impressive, and to step up marketing, Google Ghana had hooked the region on the internet (www.brongahafotourism.com) whilst the GTA was negotiating with the authorities of Sunyani Polytechnic to offer training courses for operators in the hospitality industry.